


We Have Our Own Sins

by thedisassociation



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-18 15:34:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13103214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedisassociation/pseuds/thedisassociation
Summary: Set after the events of "Damages." Lena is determined to hold herself accountable and Kara is determined not to let her.





	We Have Our Own Sins

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BridgetteIrish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BridgetteIrish/gifts).



> For the Supergirl Secret Santa. Based on the following prompt: “Kara and Lena butt heads over the way Lena is running CatCo. They have a major argument... then make up.”
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Kara brushes past Lena's assistant at CatCo without even a passing glance. Eve makes a halfhearted attempt to stop her from storming into Lena's office, because even though Kara has carte blanche to visit Lena whenever she wants, Eve wants to say she did her due diligence--mainly because Kara looks angry, her eyes hard and the corners of her mouth pursed, and whatever is going to happen behind the closed blinds of that office doesn't seem like it's going to end well.

Her computer beeps at her with a "do not disturb" message from Lena and she last thing she hears as the door closes is, "Lena, what the --"

Inside her office at CatCo, Lena sits behind the desk, reading from a stack of articles submitted to her for her final approval. She's trying to take a hands-on approach to this whole "owning the media empire created by Cat Grant" thing, but so far, it's yielded mixed results. She's skating on a thin line trying to learn her way around CatCo without appearing incompetent. It's a delicate balance, and one she hates.

"Hello, Kara," she interrupts, putting her papers to the side. Her head rings from the events of the past week, the hangover and the heady feeling of being saved by Supergirl despite her best efforts to let herself pay for sins she didn't commit and sins she did commit.

Kara is wound tightly, sucking in a deep breath, her shoulders rising. Her hand holds a copy of an upcoming CatCo Magazine issue, the proof wrinkled between her fingers.

Lena frowns at it. How did Kara get her hands on— _James_ , she thinks with a quick shake of her head, _he showed that to Kara_. She rises from her desk and moves to stand in front of it, leaning back against the metal. She wants to cross her arms instinctively, defensively, but she resists the urge and lets her arms hang in front of her, hands clasped.

Kara settles herself, partially. "What is this, Lena?" she asks in disbelief, holding up the magazine cover in her hand. "Tell me this hasn't already been sent to the printers."

"It was supposed to be," Lena replies calmly. "But since you're here questioning me about it, I assume James hasn't forwarded it."

More disbelief crosses her features somehow and she looks at the cover in her hand. It's one of the most unflattering headlines about Lena Luthor—and that's saying something, she thinks to herself—complete with an article detailing Lena's role in the children poisoned by Morgan Edge. It leaves Edge out of things, mostly, because she isn't going to give him any more of her time and energy than she has to. It places much of the blame at Lena's feet, and it keeps piling on the blame until Lena's practically covered in it from head to toe.

"He brought it to me instead," Kara says. "Because it shouldn't go to press, ever." She says it like it's the most obvious response in the world, like Lena is the one standing in front of her boss making demands.

"And why is that?" she asks, raising an eyebrow at Kara, because she _is_ still the CEO and her decisions are final. But there there's Kara, her best friend, and Kara is looking at her across the office in frustration, yes, but there's still a softness there, a caring that has no business being directed at Lena.

"It's total clickbait," is Kara's first answer, her voice rising. "And it's totally _wrong_ ," she adds.

"It's what people want, Kara," her voice is hard in response and she finally crosses her arms. "CatCo is in the business of selling magazines and generating clicks. They want to know what happened at the hospital, to their innocent children who were just treated as expendable pawns."

Kara's hackles rise up. She's so mad and Lena isn't positive if Kara is mad _at_ her or _for_ her. Possibly both. "So we tell them. We tell them what happened, and we tell them the _truth,_ " she emphasized. "We don't just tell them what we think they want to hear."

"Every word of that article is true, Kara," she argues.

Kara's jaw drops, and she moves from visible frustration to disbelief. "If you cut out a bunch of stuff that happened and decide that everything is your fault, even though you weren't the one who poisoned those kids. You saved their lives."

"They wouldn't have been hurt in the first place if not for me, Kara," she says simply.

She grabs her tablet from the desk beside her and with hardened features, opens her email. There's nothing imperative in her inbox, but to anyone else, her actions would be a clear sign of dismissal. Anyone else would have taken Lena's actions as the "get out" move they are. Anyone else would have just let the article run. But Kara has never been just _anyone else_ in Lena's life.

Some of the tension visibly releases from Kara's body—her shoulders fall and she releases a sigh. Her grip on the magazine loosens. "Lena," she starts, and suddenly she's giving Lena that look, the soft one full of affection and belief that fills Lena with warmth, which is ridiculous because they're fighting. " _You_ didn't hurt anyone."

"I wanted to," slips out of Lena's mouth. "I took a gun to confront Edge."

"You didn't use it."

"I was knocked out before I could."

"Would you have used it?"

Lena pauses. She wants to believe that she's better than that and say that she wouldn't have shot him, but she remembers the anger boiling inside her as she looked at Edge's smug face and thought of everyone he had hurt. "I don't know," she says honestly, absently pressing things on her tablet.

Kara nods slowly and there's an understanding to her gaze that has no business being there. Kara is sunshine and light and it's hard to imagine that kind of destructive impulse running through her, but the understanding is there nonetheless. "You can't use CatCo to punish yourself."

"I wasn't aware that you were the one running the place."

"Lena, we should be using this magazine to get the truth out there so people know what's really happening. We should be giving them hope," Kara says, balling up the cover in her hands, "not using it as the kindling for your..." she trails off, "guilt pyre."

Lena takes the magazine from Kara's hands (when had she moved so close?) and lays it out on her tablet, smoothing out the wrinkled edges. "The truth is subjective. This is _my_ truth," she murmurs. Even in heels, she has to look up at Kara to meet her eyes.

Kara's face has that softness again, that raw belief in Lena that shouldn't be there. She reaches out slowly and pulls the tablet and magazine out of Lena's hands gently, setting them on the desk. "Your truth isn't the only one," she replies slowly, taking one of Lena's hands between both of hers and leaning her hip against the desk.

Lena wonders how they got here, from arguing to Kara holding her hand and oh god, there's that look again.

"You're one of the best people I know," Kara says.

"That's a lot of pressure," Lena replies truthfully. "What am I supposed to do when I don't live up to that?"

Kara's fingers skate across Lena's wrist lightly, absently. "Try to publish an article about how you think you're a bad person and then fight me when I won't let you?"

Kara's voice is soft, her hands softer. She smiles, slowly, a small crooked smile that Lena can't help but return. Despite her best efforts, despite her guilt, her blame, her darkness, somehow they always end up back here, so close that Lena can feel Kara pressed against her side, so close that were she to move just a few inches, they would be--

"I don't think I'm winning," she finally says, swallowing thickly.

Kara shakes her head. "You're not. But that's okay. No one is perfect," Kara says strongly, leveling a knowing look at Lena.

Lena starts to reach out. Pulls her hand back. Reaches out again. Lets herself touch Kara, fingers brushing over Kara's cheek carefully. She meets Kara's eyes, bright and blue and full of belief in Lena. It's misplaced, she thinks and then she hears Kara's voice in her head.

_Your truth isn't the only one._

_We should be giving them hope._

Lena pushes down on her instincts and looks to Kara, finding some hope and some truth that is so bright it she is certain it will burn her because she doesn't deserve it. But the way Kara looks at her, like Lena can do anything, like Lena has as much light inside her as Kara Danvers--it's intoxicating.

The distance between them closes. Kara's lips are soft, and Lena feels the light fill her. She spares a passing thought that she probably shouldn't be kissing an employee who was just yelling at her, but then Kara grows more insistent, one hand moving across Lena's stomach to her hip, and maybe this isn't the kind of burning Lena deserves, but it's the kind Kara always gives her. It's a hope that makes Lena tremble, but she feels Kara's embrace tighten and she sinks into it.


End file.
